Newmatter

First Appearance and Context

Newmatter is noticed extramuros as a patching medium on an old steel bridge and in consumer goods such as iridescent tires. A dictionary entry defines it as solids, liquids, or gases with properties not found in naturally occurring matter, produced via nucleosynthesis. Since the post‑Sack reforms, avout may not pursue new research, though limited production continues for specific uses such as bolts, chords, and spheres.

Properties and Uses

• Mechanical/structural: Some forms show unusual strength, suppleness, or recoverable deformation. A woven bolt can stretch to admit bullets and later be massaged smooth, while razor‑edged arrows can sever its fibers irreparably. A sphere can deform dramatically under pressure; a bullet can push a long narrow “finger” into it, allowing a medic to trail and extract the projectile.
• Optical: Adaptive mirrors of newmatter atop the Mynster change shape under control to correct distortion before focusing light into photomnemonic tablets.
• Staging and works: Crews at the Concent of Saunt Tredegarh have assembled temporary platforms and towers from newmatter tubes and slabs to support lights and a projection screen for large assemblies.

Origin and Theorical Notes

Speakers describe newmatter as engineered by recreating early‑cosmos conditions and “dialing” slightly different values for certain physical constants, yielding matter with slightly different behaviors. Most variants differ little from natural matter; after long effort, some regions yield markedly useful properties. This work established the now‑common view that the constants are contingent rather than fixed by necessity.

Current Analyses and Visitor Materials

• Laboratory results reported at Tredegarh state that four vials of red fluid recovered from a visitors’ probe each consist of nuclei incompatible with our matter and also mutually incompatible. This supports a reading that the visitors’ artifacts and tissues are composed of different kinds of matter native to their own worldtracks, not of newmatter made here. Some participants infer this from the probe’s ordinary parachute as well (“if they had newmatter, they would have used a better one”).
• Earlier talk that a propulsion device might have altered local laws has lost favor in light of these results.
• Spectral clue: an earlier narrow red laser from the visitors had a wavelength not matching known natural lines; this is consistent with non‑native matter but does not itself prove newmatter.
• Provisional labels used in discussion group the four kinds by planet glyphs seen on the craft and vials; these names are human coinages.

Relationships and Practice

• Discipline exception (post‑First Sack): Avout are barred from further newmatter research; limited production continues under grandfathered exemptions at dedicated factories, staffed by ex‑avout called out via Voco when needed, supplying bolts, chords, and spheres.
• Ongoing study: Newmatter’s behaviors and its contrast with visitor materials are being actively discussed within the Convox hosted at Tredegarh.

Current Status

Widespread extramuros in repairs and manufactured goods; present under controlled allowances associated with grandfathered exemptions; and the subject of active analysis at Tredegarh concerning safety, cross‑chemistry, and the distinction between engineered newmatter and the visitors’ non‑native matter.